power seat failure

My drivers seat power moter(for the forward/backward)has stoped working.I can hear the motor working but the seat doesnt move.Ford gave me a price of $285 bucks for it cause they say the whole track needs to be replaced.Is there an alternative to getting this from Ford?
http://www.MyOnlineImages.com/Members/cougar214/images/IMG_3851.JPG
P.S before it went out on me it would make a kinda stutering when the seat would move. now i get no movement.

I don't have your answer, I just like to post all over the damn place :screwy:

I will tell you some interesting stories related to your post though...

My passenger seat was acting up.. occasionally it was moving backward but not forward, really irritating cause I like to keep the center armrests lined up so I use them both. :naughty:

Anyway, I was desprately looking for something and happened to search the seat tracks -- I found my son's camping knife wedged into the track, out of normal sight, stopping the seat from moving forward. Problem solved.

Mr. Nailfoot over at LOL had a problem like yours, he found the problem was the joystick control on the door was bad... it worked sometimes, then died. He also heard the motor spinning. I don't get that part, but that's what I heard.

"....they say the whole track needs to be replaced...."
This reminds me of a post I've seen recently where a guy goes to the dealer and says "I want to connect my cellphone in my Town Car where that carphone goes.." The dealer say, "no way buddy their two different systems, analog vs digital, etc".

Of course he didn't give up on the idea and later came up with a bluetooth setup that connects to the JBL system the same way the carphone does. I'll stop telling people "no way" too :wink:

The moral of the story, if there is one -- there's always another way :smokin:

I actually have pretty much the same problem. When I first bought it a few weeks ago, the seats both worked fine, adjusting to my liking. Yet by the second day the driver's side seat began acting up, working and failing to work randomly. By the third day, it had stopped working all together - however when got back home and turned the car off, the seat actually moved itself all the way back! haha it was kinda scary lol. The next day, I just kept trying the buttons whenever I was driving to move it up a bit, and finally it worked - for a few seconds, just enough to get into a comfortable position, and then stopped. That was the last time it has worked! :banghead: O well, at least for me it's in a comfortable position. I'm trying to check out an answer for it. Many times, especially when I start the car up, I hear a loud vibrating noise coming from the engine. I almost associate the noise with the power seat failure, maybe because it sounds almost as if the seat is trying to move but can't? Odd because the noise comes from the front end of the engine. Have you noticed any sound like that? I'll keep looking into it.

.. Many times, especially when I start the car up, I hear a loud vibrating noise coming from the engine.
.. Have you noticed any sound like that?


Hi SteelT..
That sound you hear, on the left front fender, for 20 to 45 seconds is the Air Compressor pumping up the Air Ride System.

Your particular seat problem sounds like the Joystick control on the drivers door is defective. Some folks open up this switch assembly attempting to clean the contacts, and wind up replacing it to finally fix the problem.

Hi SteelT..
Your particular seat problem sounds like the Joystick control on the drivers door is defective. Some folks open up this switch assembly attempting to clean the contacts, and wind up replacing it to finally fix the problem.

Great, thanks Towncar for the quick response. I will def check it out and post what I find. Hopefully it's just a little dirty

That sound you hear, on the left front fender, for 20 to 45 seconds is the Air Compressor pumping up the Air Ride System.

Yes, now that you mention it that would make sense. I've seen some other responses on the forum regarding that as well. Yet the strange thing is... A few days after I got the car, I wanted to show my friend under the hood. So I parked my Conti, and left it for about 10-15 minutes. We came back, and I popped the hood to show her, and within a few moments the noise started. Is it normal that it would happen after the car being completely off for that long? Thanks again

...So I parked my Conti, and left it for about 10-15 minutes. We came back, and I popped the hood to show her, and within a few moments the noise started. Is it normal that it would happen after the car being completely off for that long?


Yep! The system levels itself every 30 minutes or so for 24 hours...
Don't quote me on these times, I can't remember the exact timings, but it's all good to way you describe it..

Actually, I've heard my TC fire up the compressor after several days untouched, so I'll have to look up the specs if you want the exact timings / behaviors.

I have the same problem. I actually went to the junk yard and jacked a new switch and I installed it and I still have the same exact problem. Weird huh. Maybe I will check the track and see if there is anything lodged in it.